Hoarders, we

 

 

 

Creative Hoarding
(by R.P.Edwards)

Is it hoarding
If it’s hanging
From the rafters…yon
The clutter from
The counter
I JUST MIGHT NEED ITs
Spawn
O, I suspect it could be
But I feel a lesser dread
Because the hoard is hidden
In the rafters
Over head

He’d heard of it. He’d read of it. He’d even seen the faded newsreels documenting the unthinkable.  But here, today, NOW! IN AMERICA! He couldn’t believe his eyes as book after book after book was thrown to the blaze.  “What are you doing?” he said in a whisper.  And then, bursting past his inhibitions he shouted over the chain-link fence, “What are you doing?! Why are you burning those books?!” 

“Oh, hi, Ted,” said the coveralled caretaker of the local library as he waddled over to greet the University Prof.  “Our fifty cent sale was a bust; and our take ‘em away free effort still left us with five hundred books.  Shame to stuff the landfill with all this paper.  Here,” said the chaw-chewing pragmatist, “this ’n ought to burn pretty good.  It’s titled, “The Audacity of Hope.””

The tenured teacher gingerly took the volume.  Then, with a nostalgic glint and a near-tear, he--for a good thirty seconds--gently stroked the cover with his pink, callousless palms while holding the words tightly to his breast.  Then, as reality seemed to suddenly steel his countenance, he reared back and sent the fluttering fluff to its well deserved incineration.  Pausing to reposition his locks, and smooth his smock, he turned to the tender (who spat a portion towards the curling collection) and asked, “Any more by that author?”

“O, quite a number,” said the feeder as he reached for his bag of Red Man.  “Let me go fetch the wheelbarrow.”

_____

Trying to clean up around this abode, a bit.  Yeah, that pathetic picture atop is from my basement.  The all consuming clutter has pushed me to the edge and, although my first instinct is to throw everything out, I’ve resorted, instead, to selective hanging; which serves a two-fold purpose (so I rationalize).  1. The cleared workbench at least gives the illusion of order, and 2. If I can see it, it will cut down on the search.

And so, I reckon if this middle-aged procrastinator can get his house in order (at least starting to), even so our political reps can start sorting through the Washingtonian morass.  Redundancy will be reduced.  Clutter will be collated.  And what we “got;” what we end up with…will be put in plain sight.  And, O yeah, I threw out quite a few books.  Felt good.

****